International Adoption Closure with Lithuania: What Families Should Know in 2026

Key data

International adoptions with Lithuania have reached their institutional end. The General Directorate of Children's and Adolescent Rights has resolved the definitive closure of proceedings processing, published in the BOE on November 2, 2026. The measure is based on the Law 54/2007 on International Adoption and on Royal Decree 573/2023, and takes immediate effect from its publication.

For families that had an open file or were considering starting the process, this closure means the end of any official Spanish channel for adopting in Lithuania.

What does this regulation establish?

The resolution formalizes the definitive closure of international adoption proceedings processing with the Republic of Lithuania. It is not a temporary suspension: it is a permanent closure of the official Spanish channel for this country.

The reasons justifying the decision are three, and all are documented in the resolution:

• Non-existence of Spanish accredited organizations in Lithuania: there is no Spanish organization authorized to operate in the Baltic country.
• Lithuanian refusal to accept new applications: Lithuania has formally rejected the accreditation of new foreign organizations, blocking any future entry route.
• Collapse of adoption volume: from 121 adoptions registered in 2011, it has dropped to just 5 in 2024, a 96% decline in thirteen years.

Before the resolution was adopted, the Sectoral Commission on Children and Adolescence was consulted at its meeting on July 1, 2026 and raised no objection to the closure. This ensures that the decision has institutional support from the autonomous communities, which are the competent authorities in child protection matters.

The resolution also establishes a pending obligation: the submission of pending post-adoption reports to Lithuanian authorities. This affects families who have already completed an adoption and still must submit the mandatory follow-up.

Economic and operational impact

The impact is not of a direct economic type for companies, but it does have very concrete operational and planning consequences for those affected:

• Ongoing proceedings: are paralyzed with no possibility of continuation through the official Spanish channel. Families who had invested time, money and efforts in the process cannot resume it.
• International adoption organizations: those with residual activity linked to Lithuania must cease those activities and update their records of operating countries.
• Pending post-adoption reports: families with adoptions already completed who still owe follow-up reports have the obligation to submit them to Lithuanian authorities. The closure of the channel does not exempt from this obligation.
• Process reorientation: families wishing to adopt internationally must consider other countries with which Spain maintains active agreements.

Who does it affect?

• Spanish families with open adoption proceedings in Lithuania: cannot continue the process through the official Spanish channel.
• Families considering starting an adoption in Lithuania: the option is definitively closed as of November 2, 2026.
• Families who have already adopted in Lithuania and have pending post-adoption reports: must comply with submitting those reports to Lithuanian authorities.
• Accredited international adoption organizations: must update their portfolio of operating countries and communicate the closure to families who had processes underway.
• Autonomous communities: as competent authorities in child protection, must manage affected proceedings and coordinate with families.

Practical example

A Spanish family that started in 2023 the international adoption process with Lithuania through an accredited organization, completed the suitability phase and was awaiting assignment of a minor, now finds that the official channel has definitively closed.

Since there are no Spanish accredited organizations in Lithuania and the Baltic country has rejected new applications from foreign organizations, there is no alternative route within the Spanish system to continue that specific process with Lithuania. The family must:

1. Contact the autonomous community that processed their suitability to learn the exact status of their file.
2. Consider whether their suitability certificate is transferable to another country with which Spain maintains an active agreement.
3. Consult with the accredited organization if there are any pending matters or if they must start a new process aimed at another destination.

What should families and organizations do now?

1. Verify the status of the file: families with open processes must urgently contact the competent autonomous community to learn the exact situation of their file following the closure.
2. Check for pending post-adoption reports: families who have already completed an adoption with Lithuania must ensure they have sent all required follow-up reports to Lithuanian authorities. The closure of the channel does not eliminate this obligation.
3. Consult alternative options: those wishing to continue with an international adoption process should inform themselves about countries with which Spain maintains active agreements and in which active accredited organizations exist.
4. Accredited organizations: must update their internal documentation, remove Lithuania from their portfolio of operating countries and formally notify affected families of the channel closure.
5. Keep all documentation: although the process cannot continue with Lithuania, preserving the file documents may be useful if the process is redirected to another country.

Official source

View complete regulation in official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-23004